Abstract: M22.00003 : Mixing Dynamics Between Water and Biofuels

Authors:

Aline Cotel(University of Michigan)

Avery Demond(University of Michigan)

Jiariu Lei(University of Michigan)

Erica Green(University of Michigan)

Currently, ethanol-based biofuels are considered to be among the best
alternatives to gasoline. However, the potential environmental impact of a
spill of such fuels on aquatic environments is an area of open discussion
and research. Since these fuels are a combination of a miscible fluid
(ethanol) and an immiscible fluid (gasoline), models used for traditional
gasoline fuels (immiscible in water) are not applicable. Preliminary
experiments show that when a solution of ethanol and glycol is mixed with
water, a third mixed fluid is formed. Two distinct mixing regimes are
observed. A turbulent wake is created between the ethanol/glycol and water
layers to cause the ethanol and glycol solution to entrain and mix into with
the water phase. In the first regime, due to nonlinear mixing behavior, a
dramatic overturning is possible for a certain range of parameters. The
second regime begins when the turbulent wake has dissipated and the internal
wave created by the plate has begun to settle, typically within the first
minute. At this point, B\'{e}nard-like cells, similar to those typically
seen in Rayleigh-B\'{e}nard convection, form at the interface and relatively
slow mass transfer is evident. Both regimes are described quantitatively
with a set of dimensionless parameters.

To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2013.DFD.M22.3